His Boyhood Hero
by Touma
Summary: A 14 year old boy who survived the attack of the Deathsaurer wishes to be just like his hero, Ban. However, his dreams begin to come true after a accidental run-in with Raven's Genosaurer. Between episodes "Duel of the Organoids" and "Phantom"
1. Memories

Life was boring in the capital of Gygalos. Looking out the window, he sighed and began to play over in his head his memories of the great event. It was both the best and worst day of his life. His town, his home, utterly destroyed. But that was the day he first saw his hero, Ban Fleiheit. Ryan shook his head to clear the sun and daydreams out of his eyes, but they persisted. When he closed his eyes, he could see the ominous black form of the Deathsaurer loom before him. The days before the event were anxious, with Emperor, then Crown Prince Rudolph supposedly dead, and Phrozen's coupe for control. Then on the day of coronation, he showed his true colors. As Rudolph secretly slipped into the palace, Phrozen sent troops to eliminate him. Ryan distinctly remembers the vibrating of his room as the rev raptor troops stormed past. Apparently Rudolph called for help, because the Helic Military showed up! Ryan smirked slightly. Personally, he thought the Helic military was so much cooler than the Guylos, especially now in the Guardian Force. His mind wavered, and he reminded himself "the only way to rid a daydream is to complete it. Back to the story"  
  
Suddenly, the Deathsaurer burst out from the ground. Its large black form cast an equally ominous form over his house, broken only by its evil red eyes. It immediately blasted the Helics with a charged particle cannon. It may be his imagination, but perhaps that was the sound of Phrozen resonated throughout the capital. Within moments, the destruction blast streamed past his house, to vaporize a squad of Shield Ligers instantaneously. He gasped at the site, but before his breath could be sucked in, the shockwave hit. He made it to the doorframe just in time to see the house shake and jar to the ground around him. Dust and smoke obscured his view, and screams of pain assaulted his ears as his house collapsed around him. Then all went dark for a second. When he regained his composure, he could truly see the desolation around him. The entire street was totaled. Beyond the wreckage and haze, he caught sight of the battle, and the first glimpse of his hero, the Blade Liger and Ban Fleiheit. Despite his surroundings, an almost perverse glee filled him at the sight of his first real battle.  
  
Everything seemed to happen at once. Two towering Gojulas charged the Deathsaurer like a pair of linebackers. Despite their size, their heads didn't even reach its waist. They clung to his leg like a child to their father, only to get the heads sliced clean off by the Deathsaurer's lasers. His glee was momentarily impeded by the thought in the back of his mind that the cockpits were in the head. That anxiety was cut short by the arrival of the majestic Storm Sworders, the sun glinting off their magnificent wings. The first poor Storm Sworder got swatted aside like a pathetic Double Sworder, but the other one launched its blades at the Deathsaurer and clogged its back. Then IT showed up. The Blade Liger, its shield giving a reality to its sublime heroic aura of grandeur raced at the vile beast at full speed, but the Deathsaurer simply shot its charged particle cannon at it. He winced momentarily, afraid for the pilot's life, when the first true miracle in his life occurred. The Blade Liger, its blades giving off a dazzling array of sparkles simply cut through the lethal blast. A smile wider than the Red River crossed his face as the Blade Liger cleanly cut through the Deathsaurer's waist. He could really hear Prozen's screams as the monster fell to pieces around him. It was at this moment where he truly gained his love and respect for the amazing Blade Liger, and the permanent adoration of its pilot.  
  
Later that day, Crown Prince Rudolph became Emperor Rudolph. The ceremony was both grandiose and spectacular. He thoroughly enjoyed himself at the party, his 10 year old mind fairly unimpeded by the horror and desolation that had occurred around him earlier in the day. As the prince received his crown, he looked around desperately for his new role model. His friends, including the Gustav and Gojulas pilots, Irvine and Moonbay, where there, but Ban and Fiona, his traveling companion, were long gone. By the end of the day, the face of his hero, and the full story of his journey up till this point, including the fight with the Genosaurer earlier that day were all over the news. But it just wasn't the same thing. He had a drive to meet this Ban in person. "To think the most important day of my life was almost 4 years ago to the day. Man, these past 4 years have really sucked!" Ryan said to himself quietly.  
  
He was now 14, Ban's age at the time of the incident, he noted to himself with a youthful glee. By now, Ban was 18. The news of the Guardian Force and its exploits were everywhere, but he had yet to meet his real life hero. After the Deathsaurer attacks, his parents, who'd survived the attack as well, moved into the countryside to avoid more war. Ryan despised the farm and it's pathetically small nearby school nearly as much as he hated the enemies of the Guardian force. He tried to live through Ban's eyes and shoes, but it was nearly impossible without a zoid and a way out. He knew about the Genosaurer, and wanted to see it in person almost as much as he wanted to see Ban.  
  
Of course, he had no idea that the Genosaurer approached him while he stared out the window during class, dreaming of adventure. He couldn't have dreamed that his own adventure was about to begin, or he'd be tied to his childhood role model through the bonds of a common enemy. Such things were only known by fate until they were ready to be revealed. And as the Genosaurer sped towards his town, and away from the Helic base and the defeated Command Wolf and Blade Liger, fate was about to make its power play. 


	2. Genosaurer

Raven was both mildly elated and angry at the very same time. A short time before, he'd taken down his worthy rival and his cyclops friend in the Command Wolf with relative ease. He'd relished the moment the Blade Liger collapsed, and its pilot inside admitted defeat. His feelings of vengeance and loathing heated his blood like a drug, making him high in anticipation. He'd grinned an evil sadistic grin as he began the firing sequence of the charged particle cannon, sure to finish off the object of his undying hatred; the only one able to defeat and humiliate him… and then, as quick as it came, it ended. Shadow suddenly took control of his menacing Genosaurer, and sped away from the battleground, sparing Ban to live another day. Gripped by fresh anger, he yelled out in anger and despair "Shadow! Where do you think your going!? What are you doing?!!" A feeling of impotence to stop Shadow, and a resentment that his own organoid turned against him hung over his head. Once again, he reminded himself that this was one of the reasons he hated all zoids. Regardless, he wouldn't exact his revenge on Shadow. Despite his disobedience and apparent cowardice, he needed Shadow's help to see his zoid destruction agenda see through to its conclusion. But with Ban still alive, he continued to pose a dangerous obstacle in his path. Raven smirked to himself, and said out loud "It's not a problem. I beat Ban so easily this time; I can do it again any time I want. But Shadow, where do you think you're going?!" Shadow heeded no attention, and continued to maneuver the Genosaurer through the rural croplands.  
  
Ryan walked out of the one room schoolhouse with a bright relaxed feeling. "Ah, it's such a great hot and sunny day today! As soon as I get home, I'm gonna take out my hoverboard and go for a spin!" Always trying to find a way to be like his hero, Ryan took up the hoverboard when he found out Ban was quite proficient at using it. And during the 4 years since the Deathsaurer's attack, he'd become quite good himself in this wide open prairie. As soon as he got home, Ryan grabbed his hoverboard, threw down his schoolbooks and was racing across the newly gleaned crop fields. Everywhere were signs of life. Squirrels and rabbits flew past him as he raced on, their funny confused facial expressions blurred by the speed of his pacing. Birds followed him overhead, keeping pace. Ryan weaved back and forth constantly, as much to avoid bird droppings as it was good practice. His joy of combing the Great Open was only tempered by the feelings of being trapped in the cycle. Every day was waking up, going to school, going home, and then riding his board, doing his homework, having a nice family meal, then going to sleep. No change, no variation or anything to shake it up. Nothing but the same repetitive regime. Ryan's chain of thoughts was suddenly shaken up and broken, literally. The ground began to vibrate like a small continuous earthquake. The birds and rabbits scrambled for cover around him. His survival instincts took over as he too experienced a "fight or flight" reaction. He chose flight as he kicked the off button on his hoverboard, and hit the deck, hiding under the closes pile of unkempt hay. Ryan poked his head out from under, his curiosity getting the better of him, to see what was causing the commotion.  
  
Nothing could have prepared him for the shock of seeing what passed. As the rumble grew louder, an object approached. It was obvious it was causing the rumble and panic, as the grounds vibrations only got stronger as it neared. As it neared his position, the shapeless form became a defined object. It gained a tail, two legs, twin small stubby arms, a pair of large guns off his back, and a large menacing head with razor sharp teeth and a forehead that ended in a rounded point. The silhouette of the frightening beast was broken only by its evil red eyes, piercing the darkness of its own shadow. Suddenly, a flash of recognition burned through his mind. The Deathsaurer…. No, it was the Genosaurer! It was the personal zoid of Raven, Ban's biggest rival. But it was destroyed 4 years ago right before the Deathsaurer's demise. It was an offshoot of the Deathsaurer Revival project. It was supposed to be a mass produced mini Deathsaurer, but it never saw production. Only one was made, and it was certainly destroyed. Regardless of what happened in the past, it was here now. Fear glazed over Ryan's eyes. Despite the new paint job and its appearance of being in perfect working condition, he knew in the back of his mind only one person could be at its controls. Raven.  
  
Ryan winced as the Genosaurer sped past. The wind it made as it passed blew the pile of hay off of him. Ryan panicked and covered his head, sure that the Genosaurer would turn around and murder him. To Ryan, the Genosaurer and Raven were homicidal maniacs that loved death and destruction. Why else would they wish harm over anyone as nice and great as Ban Fleiheit? Regardless of his biased fear, the Genosaurer continued down its path without even acknowledging it knew of the Ryan's presence. After it was obvious it was not coming back, he felt safe enough to stand up. Suddenly, something dawned on him. Ryan thought aloud "Hey, if Raven has his Genosaurer back, I'll bet he's off to seek revenge and kill Ban!" The thought of his role model's demise sickened him. It was defiantly time to make a decision, and it had best be the right one. It took Ryan barely a second to make his choice, regardless of whether it was the right one. He would follow the Genosaurer until he was pretty sure of where it was headed, and then he'd warn the authorities to inform Ban Fleiheit of the Genosaurer's rebirth. He looked back at his house, near the horizon already, and quietly said "Bye Mom. Don't worry about me, and I'll be back as soon as possible. Like he saved us from the Deathsaurer, I wanna help save him from the Genosaurer!" And with that he hopped on to his hoverboard and took off top speed to catch up with the Genosaurer. Of course, Ryan had no idea that the Genosaurer has already attacked Ban, and was heading in the opposite direction for reasons unknown… 


	3. Madness All Around

The wind blew through Ryan's hair, plastering his blond bangs over his face; obscuring his eyes. The terrain was rough and hilly, with plenty of rocky outcrops to grind and sharp slopes to jump. Any other day, he'd be having the time of his life. But not today. For a quarter of a mile ahead of him laid the only object he was concentrating on. The ominous black and red form of the Genosaurer sped away ahead of him. It maneuvered over the tough terrain even easier than his hoverboard. It gave Ryan the toughest challenge ever; faster and more difficult than any racer he'd ever faced. Regardless, the terrain and the competition didn't even faze him. His mind was focused, his vision tunneled; everything on the Genosaurer.  
  
Raven cursed for perhaps the 50th time today. Shadow persisted in stealing his own zoids control from him, and was piloting it to who knows where!? Raven, absolutely furious, his anger almost eclipsing his thirst for vengeance against Ban, yelled out in a rage "SHADOW! IF YOU DON'T STOP RIGHT THIS SECOND, YOU'RE GONNA REGRET EVER CROSSING ME!!" As if obeying Raven for the first time today, the Genosaurer stopped, and Raven quickly jumped out of the cockpit before Shadow went berserk again. A moment later, Shadow coalesced from out of the zoid and materialized next to Raven, who started to vent his frustration at his renegade organoid, but he never got the chance to continue. A second after coming out, Shadow regenerated his wings and shot up into the air. Losing its form, it melted into the Genosaurer. It flashed a blinding white like a strike of lightning, and ended just as quickly. Perhaps it wasn't from Raven's eyes adjusting from the flashbang reaction right, but the Genosaurer seemed to turn dark, nearly black. He shook his head to clear the mental fog, but the illusion didn't vanish. Suddenly, it hit him like a stone. The Genosaurer began to expel dark red particles, matching its new blood red color. They began to collide and clump, pieces continuing to tack on particles and fuse together. A form crystallized from the discharge. A crystal!  
  
From the feet up, the diamond-shaped crystal swallowed up the Genosaurer into its massive glittering bulk. As the cap formed, and the crystal became complete, strokes of black lighting crackled over its façade. Raven smiled. Though it wasn't the exact same, it was very similar to the beginning of the transformation of the Shield Liger to the Blade Liger. He momentarily grimaced. That accursed Blade Liger! It was the only zoid to have ever bested his Genosaurer; the only one ever to have bested HIM! Raven smiled, before an even bigger smile returned to his lips. By the same process as the zoid Raven destroyed became the object of Raven's nightmares, so would Ban's enemy become the object of his bed-wetting terror! His slight smirk hiding his true elation, Raven simply commented to Shadow: "I see…" Then, unable to hold back, Raven let loose with a maniacal laugh that echoed throughout the valley, haunting Ryan's ears and filling his mind with dread.  
  
Ryan grumbled in dissatisfaction. "An adventure isn't supposed to be like this!' he moped to himself while brushing his pale yellow bangs out of his eyes. After hearing Raven's psychotic laughter, he got slightly paranoid and decided to take the high route. And here he was, climbing up the rift wall, dragging his hoverboard behind him. The climb was steep, the surface cold; the handhold sharp, and the footholds small. But it was all worth it for the view provided from the overhang at the top. Ryan's eyes widened as the scope of everything hit him. The panoramic landscape spread for miles, and it was beautiful. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes panned everything with excitement. The distant and airy snow-capped mountains, the wide sprawling farm plains which he calls home, the winding ambling river, clear as his aqua-blue eyes, and finally, the jewel in the crown, literally. A huge glimmering red diamond, stood in the middle of the rift, the sun glistening off it into Ryan's eyes. He smiled, enraptured by its magnificence. Suddenly, greed manifested itself. He said out loud "Wow, that's one heckuva diamond... damn, its already claimed!" Some one was standing next to the diamond, a smile on his face worthy of owning such a priceless gem. Suddenly, recognition screamed in his brain, and his awe turned to terror. That stakeholder was Raven! The gears turned in Ryan's mind, the situation seeming very Déjà vu. Then it hit him. There was a picture of something just like it during the documentary he taped of Ban Fleiheit's life. It couldn't be anything less than a cocoon, like the one used during the transformation of the Shield Liger… and that thing certainly seems big enough to house a zoid… such as a Genosaurer! Everything just came together and clicked at that very moment. "The Genosaurer is evolving! I have to warn Ban!"  
  
This time around, Ryan was watching where he was going. After all, he was lost. Instead of ignoring jumps and just doing them naturally, he actively avoided him. Instead of tunnel vision, he practically had 360 degrees of observation, combing the landscape he'd scoped out on the cliff franticly for a military base of any kind. After spotting the Genosaurer's transformation crystal, he immediately hopped on the hoverboard and barreled down the least steep side of the rift wall, which was still nonetheless treacherous. After an hour of top-speed travel, Ryan finally spotted what he was looking for. It was a small Guylos boarder-control military base. He knew it had no significant zoids or personnel, but it could spread the warning to the Guardian Force. Streaking towards the checkpoint, he head a guard yell out "Hey you, kid! You have to get checked out here before proceeding into Guylos Imperial Territory!" Ryan completely ignored them and speeded on, counting on them to attack him. He spun around rapidly and sped towards the main zoid hanger, hoping to find a weapon to use on the Genosaurer; a weapon to help Ban, but before he could reach the main hanger doors, two armed guards stepped in his path. Surprised by the usage of firearms, and generally scared of big guns, Ryan fell off his hoverboard backwards, smashing his elbow on the ground. Dazed with pain, his vision darkened momentarily.  
  
When he reopened his eyes, the two gruff guards stood over his head. The larger one, obviously the leader of the pair, said in a deep booming voice "You better tell us what the hell kinda stunt you were trying to pull back there, or you're in for a nasty surprise, little boy!" The second guard snickered his agreement, and the first one smirked in amusement. The first guard cracked his knuckles and pulled his left fist, and grinned a sadistic grin. Through a haze of pain, Ryan still realized these action-starved guards intended to use him to vent their frustration and boredom. Thinking fast, he yelled out "The Genosaurer is coming! Everybody run!" Despite his convincing performance, and truly scared looking face, the guards stood their ground. "Yeah kid, like we're really supposed to believe that! The Genosaurer was destroyed by that irritating little brat Ban Fleiheit. I bet I could rip him a new one!" the second guard laughed. Ryan withheld straightening them about Ban's skills, but he needed to survive unmaimed first. "Don't worry about beating Ban! You'll be stomped by the Genosaurer today, and all because…" His retort was cut short by an excruciating pain. The second guard kicked him square in the ribs. "Shut up kid, there's no such thing as the Genosaurer! Its dead!" Ryan could barely talk, the wind knocked right out of him. Still, he managed a chuckle. "Hehehe, do you really believe that? Call it in, ask about the Genosaurer. I dare you!" The second guards face burned with fury. "I told you kid to shut up! Now you're gonna suffer!" He raised his foot to stamp on Ryan's chest, but was stopped short by the first guard. "Wait man, maybe there is some truth to what he's saying. I'm gonna call it in." He then picked up his radio and called in "Hey, some stupid brat says he imagined the Genosaurer stomping around. Will someone put him in his place?"  
  
The only response was static. Then a voice cut through the audio fog. "You have a visual on the Genosaurer?! We lost track of it after it left our base victorious. It even managed to beat down Fleiheit and ol' Irvine!" Ryan turned pale after hearing those words. Ban couldn't possibly have been beaten by Raven! Its impossible! Back outside Ryan's head, the voice on the walkie-talkie continued: "Do you have any coordinates or vector of heading?" The leading guard responded "No, we don't have anything on it, but…" He was cut short by Ryan yelling out his response. "Yes, it is northeast this base at a distance of about 15 miles" The second guard was about to yell again, when the radio continued "And where was it heading, kid?" of which he responded "It wasn't moving at all, It was much worse. Tell Ban Fleiheit it was in a cocoon! … And while you're at it, can you court-martial these little idiots for excessive violence? If they think of even touching me again, be sure to put them right in front of the Genosaurer's next charged particle blast?" 


End file.
